Qi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Qi (disambiguation).
Qi (Chi)
Chinese Name
Pinyin qì
Wade-Giles ch'i4
Traditional Chinese 氣
Simplified Chinese 气
Japanese Name
Romaji ki
Kanji 気
Korean Name
Revised Romanization gi
McCune-Reischauer ki
Hangul 기
Hanja 氣
Vietnamese Name
quốc ngữ khí
Thai Name
Thai ชี่

Qi, also commonly spelled ch'i (in Wade-Giles romanization) or ki (in romanized Japanese), is a fundamental concept of traditional Chinese culture. Qi is believed to be part of everything that exists, as in “life force” or “spiritual energy,” It is most often translated as “energy flow,” or literally as “air” or “breath” (for example, a term meaning “weather” is tiānqì, or the “breath of heaven”). It is pronounced something like "chee" in Mandarin Chinese but the tongue position is different. (See Media:Difficult Sounds.GIF.)

The etymological meaning of the qi ideogram in its traditional form 氣 is “steam (气) rising from rice (米) as it cooks.”

References to qi, and similar philosophical concepts, as the life-process of “flow” in metaphysical energy that sustains living beings are found in many belief systems, especially in Asia. Philosophical conceptions of qi date from the earliest recorded times in Chinese thinking. One of the important early figures in Chinese mythology is Huang Di (the Yellow Emperor). He is often considered a culture hero who collected and formalized much of what subsequently became known as traditional Chinese medicine.

Although the concept of qi has been very important within many Chinese philosophies, their descriptions of qi have been varied and conflicting. One significant difference has been the question of whether qi exists as a force separate from matter, if qi arises from matter, or if matter arises from qi. Some Buddhists and Taoists have tended toward the third belief, with some Buddhists in particular believing that matter is an illusion.

By contrast, the Neo-Confucians criticized the notion that qi exists separate from matter, and viewed qi as arising from the properties of matter. Most of the theories of qi as a metaphor for the fundamental physical properties of the universe that we are familiar with today were systematized and promulgated in the last thousand years or so by the Neo-Confucians. Knowledge of the theories they espoused was eventually required by subsequent Chinese dynasties to pass their civil service examinations.

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[edit] Qi in traditional Chinese medicine

Theories of traditional Chinese medicine assert that the body has natural patterns of qi that circulate in channels called meridians in English. Symptoms of various illnesses are often believed to be the product of disrupted, blocked, or unbalanced qi movement (interrupted flow) through the body's meridians, as well as deficencies or imbalances of qi (homeostatic imbalance) in the various Zang Fu organs. Traditional Chinese medicine often seeks to relieve these imbalances by adjusting the circulation of qi (metabolic energy flow) in the body using a variety of therapeutic techniques. Some of these techniques include herbal medicines, special diets, physical training regimens (qigong, Tai Chi, and martial arts training), massage to clear blockages, and acupuncture, which uses fine metal needles inserted into the skin to reroute or balance qi. Traditional Asian martial arts also discuss qi. For instance, internal martial systems known especially by their focus on using qi (the “flow” of forces) for self protection during combat, as well as to ensure proper health. Many other martial arts also include some concept of qi in their philosophies.

[edit] Nature of qi

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The nature of qi is a matter of controversy among those who accept it as a valid concept, while those who dismiss its very existence ignore it, except for purposes of discussion with its adherents. Disputing the nature of qi is an old controversy in Chinese philosophy. Among some traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, qi is sometimes thought of as a metaphor for biological processes similar to the Western concept of energy flow for homeostatic balance in biological regulations. Others argue that qi involves some new physics or biology. Attempts to directly connect qi with some scientific phenonomena have been attempted since the mid-nineteenth century. The philosopher Kang Youwei believed that qi was synonymous with the later abandoned concept of luminiferous ether.

The concept of tunneling in modern-day quantum physics where physical matters can “tunnel” through energy barriers using quantum mechanics captured some of the similar concepts of qi (which allows one to transcend normal physical forces in nature). The seemingly impossibility of tunneling through energy barriers (walls) is only limited by the conceptual framework of classical mechanics, but can easily be resolved by the wave-particle duality in modern physics. By the same token, this duality is similar to the metaphorical duality of yin and yang, which is governed by qi (the flow of energy).

Examples of quantum tunneling can be found as a mechanism in biology used by enzymes to speed up reactions in lifeforms to millions of times their normal speed.[1] Other examples of quantum tunneling are found in semiconductor and superconductors, such as field emission used in flash memory and major source of current leakage in Very-large-scale integration (VLSI) electronics draining power in mobile phones and computers.

Some scientists and practitioners are beginning to appreciate the practical applicability of qi and related concepts in Traditional Chinese Medicine. (The NIH Consensus Statement on acupuncture in 1997 noted that such concepts "are difficult to reconcile with contemporary biomedical information but continue to play an important role in the evaluation of patients and the formulation of treatment in acupuncture."[2])

Views of qi as an esoteric force tend to be more prominent in the West, where it has sometimes been associated with New Age spiritualism. These views are less prominent in modern communist China, where traditional Chinese medicine is often practiced and considered effective, but in which esoteric notions of qi are considered to contradict Marxist notions of dialectic materialism; China's current government in fact formally embraces anti-spiritual atheism. Many traditional martial arts schools also eschew a supernatural approach to the issue, identifying "external qi" or "internal qi" as representative of the varying leverage principles used to improve the efficacy of a well-trained, healthier than normal body with a given work load.

Some complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches not only assume its existence but believe that the purported subtle energy running through and surrounding the body can be manipulated so as to cultivate increased physical, psychological and spiritual health. Acupuncture along with other practices of TCM, ayurveda and many other traditional disciplines worldwide provide examples of similar beliefs. Properly funded, conducted and repeated empirical research is necessary to determine if the success rate of these CAM approaches is due to:

  1. the existence of subtle energy
  2. various other factors.

Some people believe that qi in scientific terms is really "bio-electricity", the electric current which exists in nature and run through our nerves, sending signals to and from the brain.

[edit] Qi in martial arts

Qi is a central concept in many martial arts, particularly the Neijia or internal arts, which include Tai Chi Chuan. It is also central to Qigong, a non-martial form. In the Japanese arts, Ki is developed in Aikido and given special emphasis in Ki-Aikido. These forms include exercises intended to develop the students' Qi or Ki. Often these involve some form of testing such as the unbendable arm, here one student holds his arm out in front of him and another student tries to bend it. If the first student tries to use physical muscle force to keep his arm straight, he will quickly tire and the arm will be quickly bent. The student is instructed to relax and extend his qi, which is supposed to increase the arm's resistance to bending.

In the internal arts, whether qi exists is normally not questioned by practitioners; it is frequently regarded as a phenomenon inexplicable by words alone, necessitating physical practice to develop understanding. It may be considered a mixture of the following: strong visualising techniques; complete relaxation (which can affect the way muscles function), improved posture, and use of breath. Some schools also add a metaphysical aspect, claiming that qi can come from the Tan t'ien (or one point in Ki-Aikido), a location in the lower abdomen, and circulate around the body. The concept can be extended to include Ching Sheng Li or external energy which comes from heaven and earth.

There are qigong masters who claim to be able to manipulate their students from a distance with qi. Such demonstrations are often frowned on by many practitioners as stunts and not in keeping with the arts. One classic story concerns two opponents who held each others hands before a fight, while doing so each felt the others qi and the one with the weaker qi resigned without a blow being struck.

[edit] Japanese interpretation

In Japanese philosophy, the Chinese character corresponding to qi (気) is pronounced ki. The Japanese language contains over 11,442 known usages of 'ki' as a compound. As a compound, it may represent syllables associated with the mind, the heart, feeling, the atmosphere, and flavor. The spiritual concept analogous to Chinese ki appears mainly in the martial arts, such as Aikido (See Ki Society). Usages of note also include reiki and kiai.

[edit] Types of qi

[edit] Similar concepts in other cultures

The concept of a life-energy inherent in all living beings seems to be a fairly universal archetype, and appears in numerous ancient religions and systems of metaphysics (in addition to having been borrowed by George Lucas's science-fiction films).

Analogies to numina in other societies include:

Also related are the philosophical concepts of:

Related martial arts and exercise practices include

[edit] See also

Look up Qi in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

[edit] External links and references

  1. ^ Laura Masgrau, Anna Roujeinikova, Linus O. Johannissen, Parvinder Hothi, Jaswir Basran, Kara E. Ranaghan, Adrian J. Mulholland, Michael J. Sutcliffe, Nigel S. Scrutton, and David Leys. Atomic Description of an Enzyme Reaction Dominated by Proton Tunneling. Science 2006; 312: 237-241.
  2. ^ http://consensus.nih.gov/1997/1997Acupuncture107html.htm

[edit] Further reading

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